The present invention relates in a first aspect to a vapour barrier collar, in a second aspect to a method for producing such a vapour barrier collar, in a third aspect to a tool for use in mounting a vapour barrier collar and method for mounting a vapour barrier collar. A vapour barrier collar forms part of a vapour barrier assembly and provides a vapour-proof connection between for instance a window frame and an underroof.
A vapour barrier collar of the kind mentioned in the introduction to claim 1 is for instance known from the European patent EP 0 994 991. Such a vapour barrier collar is adapted to be mounted along the circumference of an aperture in a roof-penetrating building structure, such as an aperture of a window frame. The building structure may be any kind of roof-penetrating building structure, such as a roof window or a skylight.
The mounting takes place by inserting the mounting means of the vapour barrier collar in a circumferential groove surrounding the aperture. The mounting means are in the form of a number of individual “press-in pieces” of a relatively stiffer material compared to the vapour barrier collar material, the press-in pieces being distributed with intervals along the edge of the collar that is to be inserted into the groove of the building structure. However, to ensure a reliable and sealing mounting of the vapour barrier collar in the groove, use of additional mounting means is necessary. For this purpose, i.a. strips of butyl rubber is inserted in the groove of the building structure prior to inserting the press-in pieces of the vapour barrier collar. In order to ensure a sufficient degree of sealing against heat loss, condensation and vapour, great care must be taken when inserting the strips of butyl rubber. As it is time consuming and difficult to place the butyl strip correctly it is hard to obtain a sufficient degree of sealing.
Furthermore, often the butyl rubber strips simply let go of the groove e.g. due to dust, wet spots etc. For this reason, screws are used to secure the mounting means in the groove on top of the butyl rubber strips. Thus, the amount of time required to mount a vapour barrier collar is relatively extensive.
In the case of for instance a roof window, the lining, which is inserted in the groove subsequently to the mounting of the vapour barrier collar, assists in providing the sealing effect by squeezing the butyl rubber strips and mounting means to abut the walls of the groove closely. For this reason, the lining must be mounted with great care too. Often, the lining, which is used, is of a different brand than the vapour barrier collar and/or the groove and may thus not fit perfectly. This increases the risk of an unsatisfactory sealing.